Current AFfairs Quiz
1. Major __________, who led the surgical strikes against terror pads in PoK in September 2016, was awarded Kirti Chakra by President Pranab Mukherjee at a ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhawan
a) Prakash Singh
b) Rohit Suri
c) Rajesh Kumar
d) Praveen Bakshi
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Answer b) Rohit Suri. The military investiture ceremony held in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhavan marked both the high and low points of the military under the Narendra Modi Government. While the second highest peacetime gallantry award ‘Kirti Chakra’ went to a young officer, Major Rohit Suri, who was part of the surgical strikes last year, the seniormost Lieutenant General Eastern Army Commander Praveen Bakshi, who was side stepped in the appointment of the Army Chief, was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, the highest Distinguished Service Medal.
2. Who has been appointed as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis?
a) Naresh Vohra
b) Mahesh Varma
c) Gagandeep Singh
d) Upendra Tripathy
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Answer d) Upendra Tripathy. Mr. Upendra Tripathy appointed as the Interim Director General (IDG) of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) on a full time basis. Mr. Upendra Tripathy was the Former Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy from 1st April, 2014 until 31st October 2016. Mr. Tripathy is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of Karnataka Cadre. He has worked with local, provincial and union governments in India for the last 36 years.
3. Who has been appointed as new whole time member of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)?
a) Madhabi Puri Buch
b) Usha Ananthasubramanian
c) Chitra Ramkrishna
d) Snehlata Shrivastava
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Answer a) Madhabi Puri Buch. The government has announced Madhabi Puri Buch as new whole time member of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). This appointment also marks a departure from the regular practise of hiring SEBI board members, who typically were men coming from the public sector. This is the first time that a women and a person from private sector has been chosen for a key post with the market regulator.
4. __________is all set to combat climate change and become the first carbon neutral district of India
a) Sumatra
b) Pamban
c) Kalpeni
d) Majuli
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Answer d) Majuli. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched initiatives to develop Majuli, world biggest river island, as India’s first carbon neutral district and as a biodiversity heritage. Launching “Forests are Lives” campaign to celebrate the importance of Assam’s rich forest and biodiversity, the Chief Minister urged people of the state to take a pledge to conserve its biodiversity to make a pollution free state.
5. The Centre proposed to lower the limit of cash transactions to ___ lakh from the earlier proposal of ₹3 lakh in the Union Budget
a) 1 lakh
b) 2 lakh
c) 2.5 lakh
d) 1.5 lakh
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Answer b) 2 lakh. The Centre proposed to lower the limit of cash transactions to ₹2 lakh from the earlier proposal of ₹3 lakh in the Union Budget. The penalty for violating it will be a fine equivalent to the amount of transaction, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted. The move aims to discourage cash payments, as well as to curb black money.
6. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for development of 403 kms of National Highways in __________ and ___________
a) Karnataka and Mizoram
b) Meghalaya and Manipur
c) Meghalaya and Mizoram
d) Maharashtra and Gujarat
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Answer c) Meghalaya and Mizoram. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has given its approval for development of 403 kms of National Highways in Meghalaya and Mizoram. Out of 403 km, approximately 52 kms will be in Meghalaya and 351 km in Mizoram. The project will be executed in EPC Mode. The estimated cost is Rs 6,721 crore including cost of land acquisition, resettlement and other pre-construction activities.
7. Cabinet has approved proposal for amendments to the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development-NABARD Act ________
a) 1979
b) 1981
c) 1982
d) 1983
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Answer b) 1981. Amendments to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981 as proposed in the draft Bill with such changes of drafting and of consequential nature, as may be considered necessary by Legislative Department. The Amendments include provisions that enable Central Government to increase the authorized capital of NABARD from Rs. 5,000 crore to Rs. 30,000 crore and to increase it beyond Rs. 30,000 crore in consultation with RBI, as deemed necessary from time to time.
8. The CBSE-affiliated schools will now follow a uniform assessment scheme by introducing a two-semester system from Class ___ onwards
a) 11
b) 10
c) 8
d) 6
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Answer d) 6. The CBSE-affiliated schools will now follow a uniform assessment scheme by introducing a two-semester system from Class 6 onwards. Under the new system, schools will conduct two periodic tests of 10 marks, and the half-yearly written examination will account for 80. This system will make students more confident about facing the Class 10 board examinations, said CBSE Chairman RK Chaturvedi.
9. Union Cabinet approved MoU between India and _________ on cooperation in the field of Cyber Security
a) USA
b) UK
c) Russia
d) China
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Answer a) USA. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has been apprised of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-ln) under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the US Homeland Security Department on cooperation in the field of Cyber Security. The MOU was signed on 11th January 2017 in New Delhi.
10. Which state government launched a programme to provide free WiFi facilities in colleges and universities recently?
a) Assam
b) Gujarat
c) Sikkim
d) Bihar
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Answer d) Bihar. The Bihar government launched a programme to provide free WiFi facilities in colleges and universities. “The objective is to provide free Wi-Fi facility to help youths to move ahead in life and to become [digitally] smart,” Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said. However, Kumar had earlier asked students to use this facility to download books instead of films.
11. India ranked _______ out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017
a) 111
b) 117
c) 122
d) 133
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Answer c) 122. India ranked 122nd, behind terror-riven Pakistan and poorest-of-poor Nepal in the global list of the happiest countries, according to a global report. India ranked at 122 out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017, four notches below its previous rank of 118.Norway moved from No. 4 to the top spot in the report’s rankings.
12. The RBI has proposed to fix the upper limit for Pre-paid Payment Instruments at Rs _______ in view of growing usage of PPIs for purchase of goods and services
a) 1 lakh
b) 2 lakh
c) 3 lakh
d) 5 lakh
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Answer b) 2 lakh. The RBI has proposed to fix the upper limit for Pre-paid Payment Instruments at Rs 1 lakh in view of growing usage of PPIs for purchase of goods and services. The RBI had received requests from stakeholders and other entities for relaxations in certain areas while strengthening the norms for safety and security, risk mitigation and customer protection aspects related to usage of PPIs.
13. India has been ranked _____ among the 188 countries surveyed for human development
a) 108
b) 114
c) 127
d) 131
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Answer d) 131. India has been ranked 131 among the 188 countries surveyed for human development, according to the UN’s Human Development Report for 2015. India has made no improvement over its ranking in the 2014 report, which was also 131. India’s rank puts it in the “medium human development” bracket, which also includes Pakistan, Kenya, and Nepal.
14. VTB Bank has decided to close its only office in India to cut costs but will continue to work in India, VTB Bank head quarters located in _________
a) China
b) Russia
c) Japan
d) Malaysia
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Answer b) Russia . Russian bank VTB has decided to close its only office in India to cut costs but will continue to work in India. The decision to shut the branch in India was taken as part of a strategy of VTB Group aimed at optimising costs. We will continue to work on the Indian market, expanding our cooperation with local partners. Russian bank VTB has decided to close its only office in India to cut costs but will continue to work in India.
15. Which bank announced the launch of a mobile banking app for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services?
a) Axis Bank
b) South Indian Bank
c) ICICI Bank
d) HDFC Bank
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Answer c) ICICI Bank. India’s largest private sector bank by consolidated assets, announced the launch of a mobile banking app for rural customers that allow them to access banking services as well as information on agri services. The app is open for both bank customers as well as others and is available in eleven different languages. Named ‘Mera iMobile’, it allows users in rural areas to avail as many as 135 services some of which are unprecedented in the industry on their mobile phone.
16. International Day of Forests is observed on March 21, the theme of International Day of Forests 2017 is _______________
a) Forests | Climate | Change
b) Forests and energy
c) Forests and water
d) Forests and Climate
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Answer b) Forests and energy. March 21 is the United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Forests, which promotes the importance of forests and trees in our lives. The 2017 theme is ‘Forests and energy’. This global celebration of forests provides a platform to raise awareness of the importance of all types of woodlands and trees, and celebrate the ways in which they sustain and protect us. This year we highlight the importance of wood energy in improving people’s lives, powering sustainable development and mitigating climate change.
17. _________and Mauritius signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to execute a USD 20 million social housing project in Mauritius
a) China
b) USA
c) Germany
d) India
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Answer d) India. India and Mauritius signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to execute a USD 20 million social housing project in Mauritius. The MoU was signed in the presence of the Union Minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu and the visiting Mauritius’s Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Housing and Lands Showkutally Soodhun.
18. World Down Syndrome day is observed on?
a) March 21
b) March 22
c) March 23
d) March 24
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Answer a) March 21. March 21 is observed annually as World Down Syndrome Day. It day to create awareness and honor people who have the unique triplication of the 21st chromosome that causes Down Syndrome. Organizers of the day want to get people talking about World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) by getting people to wear.
19. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed on?
a) March 18
b) March 19
c) March 20
d) March 21
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Answer d) March 21. The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March. On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid pass laws. Proclaiming the day in 1966, the United Nations General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination.
20. World Poetry Day is observed on?
a) March 20
b) March 21
c) March 22
d) March 23
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Answer b) March 21. World Poetry Day, which is celebrated on 21 March, is special day observed in respect towards the practice of poetry by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The special day is celebrated with an aim to to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world. The UNESCO session, while declaring the day, had said that day is observed to “give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements”.
21. World water day is observed on March 22, the theme of the world water day 2017 is ____________
a) Water and Sustainable Development
b) Better Water, Better Jobs
c) Why Waste water?
d) Water and Energy
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Answer c) Why Waste water?. World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. In 2017, the theme for World Water Day is ‘Why Waste water?’.
22. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at _________________
a) Thiruvananthapuram
b) Kolkata
c) Bangalore
d) Sriharikota
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Answer a) Thiruvananthapuram. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) created history by commissioning the world’s third largest hypersonic wind tunnel at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram. A wind tunnel is used to study the effects of air flowing past a solid object—in ISRO’s case, space vehicles.
23. India’s Vidya Pillai bagged the _________ medal at the World Women Snooker Championship in Singapore
a) Gold
b) Silver
c) Bronze
d) None of these
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Answer b) Silver. Indian’s Vidya Pillai who settled for a silver medal at the event of Women’s World Snooker Championship in Singapore on 19th March. Vidya secured the first international medal for India in 2017. Vidya fell the short by four points with the score of 54-50 in the favour of Hong Kong’s Ng on Yee who is a former world champion. Yee is eight-time women’s national snooker champion. The 26-year-old had previously won the gold medal at the IBSF World Team Snooker Championship in the year 2013.
